Faerie Fruit

The Wonder Tales #1

by Charlotte E. English

From the acclaimed author of the Tales of Aylfenhame comes a stunning new fairy tale, replete with "large helpings of wit and whimsy" (Publisher's Weekly)

When the centuries-barren orchards of Berrie-on-the-Wyn suddenly bear fruit, it is clear that something strange is afoot — and something fey, for this is no ordinary harvest. To partake of the fruits of Faerie is to be changed for good, but not necessarily for the better.

From whence come the golden apples, the moonlit silver pears? Who is the motley piper who walks the streets of Berrie, drawing forth magic and mayhem with his music? And how can half of the town vanish into thin air?

There may be chaos aplenty in Berrie, but all that's needed to set things straight is a touch of the right light — and maybe just the right pair of Boots...

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Fairy Tales, Fae, Magic, Fairies, Mystery

245 pages, ebook

First published December 16, 2016

About the author

English both by name and nationality, Charlotte hasn’t permitted emigration to the Netherlands to change her essential Britishness. She writes colourful fantasy novels over copious quantities of tea, and rarely misses an opportunity to apologise for something. Spanning the spectrum from light to dark, her works include the Draykon Series, Modern Magick, The Malykant Mysteries and the Tales of Aylfenhame.

Reviews

[Juliet Valcourt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so glad I stumbled upon this book! Faerie Fruit is a unique, old-fashioned type of fantasy that reminded me of ‘Stardust’ by Neil Gaiman and ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell’ by Susanna Clarke. It’s filled with quaint, whimsical names and lovely descriptions that are meant to be savored. Charlotte E. English shows what an adept storyteller she is with this delightful fairytale. I can’t wait to read more from her!

[Jadey (the Bookish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this!
I loved the writing style, so whimsical. I think this book would be perfect for fans of Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones as it has much the same charm. I'd have given Faerie Fruit 5 stars if not for its ending falling a little flat for me, but nevertheless worth the read!

[Fani · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sometimes the mortal world needs a dose of faerie magic. And once in a while, the people of Faerie benefit from a little mortal pragmatism.”

For a very long time the trees of a small town had not bared fruit, as a result two whole generations had not tasted or seen them and their existence had become nothing but a story that the residents passed on from one to another. That is until one day the trees start bearing fruit again and the people of Berrie-on-the-Wyn rejoiced because they had the chance to taste that which they had only heard in stories. Unfortunately though, the fruit had all kinds of side effects to those who ate them for they were made with faerie magic and it didn’t take long until the world of Faerie and the people of Berrie-on-the-Wyn started mixing together.

This was a unique kind of story. It didn’t follow the usual pattern of a fantasy book where there is one hero fighting endless battles against evil. This might not be an action-packed story but still it was very interesting, instead of one hero, we have a full cast of characters. They are the residents of Berrie-on-the-Wyn and we follow their journey as they try to make sense of all the strange things that are happening and help in any way they can. They might not be the ultimate saviors, but that doesn’t stop them from working together in order to improve their situation.

This book also doesn’t lean on having a story about people who spend the entire book trying to be with the person they have fallen in love, just to keep things interesting. In this story most of the townspeople have already found love, but this doesn’t mean that there isn’t any romance in it. From the couple who found each other and fell in love in a much later time of their lives than the rest, to a husband who lived for a long time under one side of a bridge in the Faerie world, because he couldn’t cross to the other side and go home to his wife. This story was full of emotions.

“Such a vision he could not resists: his own love, undeniably changed but by no means lessened by her taste of faerie fruit, entreating him to join her with such irresistible sweetness.”

The only thing i wanted to see more of, was character development. There was a case where someone was breaking off their character and the faerie folk, including their king, didn’t seem developed enough to me.

I voluntarily reviewed the free copy that i received via Reading Alley

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dream-like fairytale of a book

Barren fruit trees begin bearing beautiful fruit as magic seeps into a small town. Something is wrong in Faerie and the town of Berrie-on-the-Wyn is somehow caught in the middle.

I liked this book, unconventional as it is. The prose is old-fashioned but once you get used to it, strangely hypnotic. The characters are varied (and a bit hard to keep track of) but give the book a delightful small-town feel. There are no huge surprises in store but the little ones keep it interesting.

The climax of the book was a little confusing and it veered between over-explanation and leaving the reader hanging. I might need to do a full reread to see what I missed, because even now, the finer details leave me a little uncertain.

There was no big conflict, no sense of tension in this book, but the writing is beautiful and I enjoyed reading it, and in the end that’s all you can ask of a book.

Four jewelled stars

I received a copy of this story from the author through ReadingAlley in exchange for an honest review.

[Charlotte English · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've read and reviewed my beloved cosy cottagecore fairytale already: thank you! I wrote this jewel of a story to bring some sunshine to the world, and I hope it has brightened your day just a little.
It's been years since I finished and sent Faerie Fruit out into the world, but I've had chance to return to the town of Berrie-on-the-Wyn more recently to produce a gorgeously detailed and beautiful extended edition in association with Campfire. If you'd like to return to Berrie and get to know its streets and its residents much better - and enjoy an exclusive short story, The Bootmaker of Berrie Wynweald - stop by Campfire to pick up all the extras! See you at the Moss and Mist!

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this on Kobo and the concept of barren trees suddenly sprouting faerie fruit was intriguing enough that I immediately started reading.

Faerie Fruit is a collection of four connected tales that eventually form a story about the village of Berrie-on-the-Wyn and why they suddenly have magical fruit. The stories are told in a fairy-tale style (very narrative heavy) and I liked the way that the individual stories connected to tell one larger tale.

The only flaw of these stories is that because they are so short and feature different main characters for each tale, we don't really get to root for/sympathise with them. I never really felt like I understood the characters and some of their actions were basically "because faerie made me do it", which was a bit unsatisfying.

Still, this is a quick and fairly magical story, good as weekend reading.

[Steven Tryon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read pretty much everything Charlotte English has written. I love the drama and characterization of the Draykon books and the darkness of the Malykant Mysteries. If you haven't read them, do so.

But when Charlotte crosses over from England to Faerie, it's magic. Faerie Fruit is a gem. And, as in all Charlotte's books, it's the people -- be they human, fae, draykoni, or whatever -- that matter.

Beautiful work. I recommend it highly.

Blessings,
Steve

[Colored Ink · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book, and it seemed to have so much potential. I think the author had a clear vision--she just wasn't able to explain it well to me. I felt like I never could fully figure out what was going on. I kept reading on, hoping that everything would be made clear, but finally gave up. I finished the book, but didn't really care by the end--there was just too much missing.

[Celia Buell (semi hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, 3 for Goodreads.

I think Faerie Fruit is the first Fae / mortal interaction book that I haven't fallen in love with the lore and the world of from the start. Unlike the other ones I've read (from The Faerie Path in middle school to A Court of Thorns and Roses in high school to Soulbound and the Fairytales of Folkshore books more recently), there's not a lot of substance here. Or rather, there is, but it doesn't build to anything.

Each section features a different set of characters, and nothing really aligns between them until about 3/4 of the book. This makes the story hard to follow because for a while, it seems like a slice of life piece with this magical event included, but not really significant in any way. As for the characters themselves, they were confusingly similar to the point that I couldn't remember who was where after the annexation or disappearance of South Berrie.

The ending attempted to make sense as everything came together, but with the 4-5 overlapping stories and 10+ significant characters, it felt very rushed when they all finally came together.

Faerie Fruit might be the type of book that makes more sense on a reread or even after multiple rereads. However, I don't think I'll reread it any time soon to find out.

[Dana Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok this is 4 stories in one. But to understand the story as a whole you have to read all 4. I didn't quite get that until I was halfway through the 2nd story. I found the whole faerie world to be much different from what that genre usually is written about. And I had a hard time figuring out what century these people were in. But I went with the story and just tried to enjoy it rather than make sense of everything. And it ended up being a decent story. Strange. But enjoyable.

[Deserthomemaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story does not follow the usual fairy tale pattern. The story is separated into several sections, with each section following different characters, and storylines that are connected but don’t follow a straight line. I would say it’s really about magic, the land of faerie, the mortal lands, the ways they meet, and ultimately benefit one another. I enjoyed it.

[Voirrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather charming fairy story - nice to have middle-aged heroes and heroines as well!

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd book, which I nearly gave up on as it didn't seem to be going anywhere, but then, about halfway through, a story began. It is beautifully written, but it didn't appeal to me and I wondered what sort of reader it was aimed at. I'm pretty sure I sure not have liked it when I was a child, and now in old age when I almost exclusively read fantasy, I didn't like it much either.

[Arnaud · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky story, sometimes hard to follow

It is a good enough story to read on the side, if fantasy genre is your thing. The whole volume is written in a somewhat old style, mostly to give the world building a touch of "authenticity" I would think. It's quirky and fun enough. The struggle I had was following the many characters encountered and figuring out what the whole point was all about. It ultimately becomes clear, but it takes a bit of perseverance through the first half of the volume before one starts seeing a clear plot unfolding. Ultimately was okay

[Lindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have liked a bit more of a everything is super and reunion epilogue before the piece of Pippin Greensleeves. Other than that it was pretty nice

[Annika Hoogendoorn-Van Oosten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Een sprookjesachtige wereld waar dingen fout gaan, maar met omwegen uiteindelijk redelijk goedkomen.

Achteraf niet mijn smaak, maar het was wel goed geschreven en het verhaal zat goed in elkaar.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A glorious romp

This is a fairy tale, but one that is original in every way. The little village finds unusual fruit that once eaten alters its inhabitants in unusual ways. And the town itself is disappearing so it falls to a Collection of intrepid characters to figure out the mystery and restore things . Great story.

[Riotkittin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much faerie and not enough plot/story for me. I loooooooove her Modern Magic and her writing is excellent but this wasn't my cup of faerie fruit.

[Phyllis C Surface · Rating 1 out of 5]

One star

Although I read the entire book, I can't say it has much substance to it. Definitely not my cup of tea but if you like non-sensical books this one is for you

[Sarahz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this one - I don't think it was a bad book, but not my thing. Only, with its subject matter and characters, it should have been my thing, but it's like the book was intentionally difficult to get engrossed in. It was well written, in that it was written with style, and had well-constructed sentences, and the characters and setting were generally well drawn. But, every time it felt like you were starting to get a handle on what the structure of the story was, where things were going, that section would end and we'd start over with entirely new characters, the previous ones nowhere in sight. And, none of the characters had very much agency - they mostly seemed to get hemmed in by magic, doing the things they were doing because it was the only option available to them, or because of coincidences. I'm generally a character-driven reader, and I did mostly like these characters, so I'm surprised that the weird plotting choices distanced me from the material as much as they did. Based on the reviews, people seem to either love or hate this one. Basically, if you start reading the sample and it seems like it has potential, but you're waiting for it to all come together, or to kick into a higher gear, or something, know that what you see is what you get - the whole book is going to proceed at a similar pace, and there isn't any time where it's going to "click" more than it already has. Your mileage may vary.

[Mairi Krausse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice fantasy

This story concerns a medieval village and the land of faerie and how they intertwine. Amazing character development and a real knack for excellent scene description. Really worth reading.

[Eirlys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faerie Fantasy

This was a very good read. It was interesting and entertaining. I liked the journey through Faerie land and the intertwining of worlds that was enthralling.

[Cynthia Kauffmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

whole lot of nonsense. Colorful words and enchanted world. Story line - not very interesting.

[Megan Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

The orchards of Berrie-on-the-Wyn have been barren for ages and have started to fade. Yet, after Pippin Greensleeves comes to town they suddenly burst forth strangely colored offerings. Tobias recognizes them as something fey and warns his fiancee (and the town) to never eat them. Yet one by one the townsfolk give into temptation and are forever changed by eating the miraculous fruit. Each is granted a boon--health, genorosity, or sobriety--but also cursed with baldness, compulsive spending, or a lack of appetite. The trees begin to overgrow and before too long the entire southern half of the city disappears into the mist. Having discovered the town's heritage several members step up to see if they can do anything to improve the situation and perhaps even help stop the dying of the fey.
This is a related collection of whimsical faerie tales. It has the odd venacular, unclear time setting, and magical MacGuffins of the traditional stories. There are strange keys, enchanted boots with a mind of their own, talking animals, seeds grown with hope, and personifications of the heavenly bodies. Everything only really makes sense in a dream logic kind of way. There are lots of descriptions and not a lot of explanation. Sadly, you don't follow the same characters throughout so you aren't terribly invested in any particular event or outcome. Some of the solutions are quaint and it challenged me by being something different than I currently find myself reading. Yet, the ending doesn't really bring it all together or to a point which I can surmise will frustrate some.

[Ariadne Cares · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ever wonder what a fairy tale would be like if it were a full-length novel, this is it! English possesses an astonishing ability to create a fairyland of great charm and beauty. Her narrative voice is just right for her story, and her story is classic. The consequences of eating the mysterious faerie fruit become both fascinating and catastrophic, but both fairies and humans eventually learn powerful truths about what it means or should mean to be human and fae.

I happily relished in this story, reveling in it like a character in the lush and idyllic gardens it describes. It's the perfect novel for a quiet afternoon or reading in nature. As far as pacing goes, the danger and conflict are purely environmental in Farie Fruit, so if you're looking for Maleficent II, this isn't it. I spent several happy hours with this story, though, basking in it like the warm sunshine of an old friend's smile, so I definitely reccomend it.

[Belinda Kroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whimsical ensemble fairy tale

I'm usually a fast reader but this tale slowed me down. I feel like the story was well written, with the occasional word that left me seeking a dictionary... But I wouldn't recommend this to readers who prefer character-driven plots. This is about an entire town, so you never get to really know anyone or care about them, beyond the curiosity of what might happen next due to the fairy fruit. So many names, that I honestly gave up trying to remember who anyone was. I enjoyed the whimsy, I just wish I felt more about the story, and despite the length, many of the core mysteries driving the plot are left unsolved.

[Kurlyrebel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great plot but confusing

I'm conflicted. Ill begin by saying I put this book down multiple times. The plot was top notch it was just extremely difficult to follow. There was so much information written that for the first third of the book I couldn't distinguish between characters.
In the end I read through a few times and eventually followed the plot instead of characters. That meant there was no emotion invested on my end to root for any one character. Mentally I couldn't visualize the world created within the pages.It could've been split into two books and I would've struggled less. All in all I did enjoy the writing just a little chaotic.

[Blair Peery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faerie Fruits (The Wonder Tales #1) by Charlotte E. English is a true fairy tale of the old type, which I have loved since childhood. Remember The King of the Golden River?

This falls broadly under the heading of Fantasy, but fairy tale is a very specific sub-genre. You will find the Fae, not dragons or wizards. But still, magical stuff happens. There is an eerie feeling of incomprehension, things you cannot understand.

And there are five books in the series -- lots still to come. Don't you love it when you find a good novel, and discover that it has more in store?

Yeah. Me too. Cheers!

[Bridget Book Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75/5 ⭐ A cute, whimsical story. Broken into 4 parts with the pair at the center of each part changing, the story is mainly about the town itself. I was drawn into it from the start. It was a unique perspective and quite fun.

I read it on Campfire, which was my first time actually using that app. I found the extras to be nice. The summaries and pictures of characters and locations are engaging. But I couldn't figure out how to highlight passages or bookmark pages, so that's a negative for me. Some people may like the ability to utilize the vertical scrolling feature, but I like being able to "turn" pages, so I turned that option off.

[Annette Summerfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's different. It all came together in the end.
I don't know. I had a hard time each time the characters changed and I skipped a long through the first parts each time until I found out the real reason this character's day was being followed. Once I got to that point it became interesting and things started to happen.
I didn't mind it, but I don't feel like reading another book similar to it.
If one of the author's books came up for free I would download it to my Kindle and read it at some point in the future.